Brasília, November 21, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The PT's secretary of International Relations, federal deputy and senator elect Aloizio Mercadante, said that Lula's administration intends to negotiate on an equal footing with the US government, as bilateral trade relations experienced a significant imbalance in recent years.

"We must re-establish trade in which both countries gain," the deputy said, following a meeting with the US government's Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America, Otto Reich. Mercadante also pointed out that Brazilian participation in the imports of the United States is only 1.8%.

Mercadante informed as well that American exports to Brazil grew 116% in the first four years of Fernando Henrique Cardoso's administration, while the compensation for Brazil was only 5%. And he affirmed: "The Americans always played tough, and now they will have an administration that is going to play as tough as they do in international relations." (DAS)